EMMERDALE’S Belle Dingle took a huge step tonight and reported abusive husband Tom King to the police after his sickening plot to control her backfired.

The events planner – who is played by actress Eden Taylor-Draper in the ITV soap – has been pushed to breaking point by Tom’s coercive control and violent abuse.

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Viewers watched as she fled from Tom’s brutality during a forced holiday to Wales – returning home to end their marriage.

But that hasn’t stopped Tom from stalking her and terrorising her at a distance – and even killing her dog Piper in an effort to get Belle back under her control.

In tonight’s episode a grieving Belle prepared herself to bury Piper.

“I’ve come to collect Piper,” said Belle but Tom led her to believe that he’d disposed of her body already.

He said: “It’s not possible, I’m sorry. You’ve worked in this place, you know we’ve got no storage space.”

A horrified Belle told him: “You wouldn’t do that Tom. You wouldn’t just get rid of her without telling me.

“Shipping her off in the waste van like a piece of rubbish. You had no right but of course you’ve got to twist the knife in a bit more because you are sick and disgusting.

“This is what you meant when you told me I’d regret it.”

Later at the Dingle cottage Belle was devastated but it soon emerged that Tom had tried to manipulate hr by lying.

Tom turned up with Piper’s body in a wicker coffin and Lydia and Sam joined them to bury her.

But when Tom tried to pretend he cared – hiding that he had killed Piper – it was too much for Belle and she exposed his leaving Piper outside at the cottage in the rain.

Unfortunately Lydia and Sam didn’t believe her and made excuses for Tom.

Walking home, Belle was confronted by Tom who threatened her when she promised to expose all of his abuse.

He then confessed to killing Piper and let Belle spiral out of control.